Buying, Wearing & Caring For Linen

Types of linen

The first things to know about linen are that clothes from Robert Smart Menswear in York made from the fabric are mostly casual, and that pure linen wrinkles very easily. The fabric also lends itself well to a few major clothing types.

Shirts

Short-sleeve: Most linen short-sleeve shirts hang a bit looser than their cotton counterparts, so I usually buy them one size smaller. You can pick up linen short-sleeve shirts from a range  of labels, such as Polo Ralph Lauren.

Long-sleeve

Long-sleeve linen shirts come in two varieties — casual and dressy.

Pants

Linen pants from Robert Smart Menswear in York come in two primary variations: belted and drawstring.

Belted linen pants look like any other slacks, though they’re often found in lighter, more garish colors.

Drawstring linen pants look and feel much the same as the belted types, but with the added quirk of having a simple, built-in drawstring for fastening (and comfort) and are arguably the ultimate in achieving that classy but quasi-casual look that linen does so well.

Blazers

Picture a regular sports coat… now picture it in linen. Yes, there’s not much surprise here, but as you’ll discover below, a linen blazer is one of the more casual, versatile sports coats you can own.

Linen suits

Linen suits, such as the ones we sell at Robert Smart Menswear in York, have a long history as the mark of the vacationing gentleman, particularly in the American South and the Mediterranean. Not only does a linen suit’s breezy elegance turn women’s heads, but a good linen suit marks its wearer as that rare man who manages to look laidback and classy, even during summer’s hottest, muggiest months.

Italian and Irish linen from Robert Smart Menswear in York are the two best-regarded types of linen used in the making of linen suits and blazers. Irish linen has history on its side, and is considered the superior — not to mention heavier, and therefore, less wrinkle-prone — of the two.

And because of linen’s loose-fitting nature, linen suits do not necessarily require traditional tailoring. If you’re on a budget, you can comfortably buy a linen suit off the rack. You can also save additional money by buying offseason, in the autumn or winter.